With two available restaurant licenses still pending (Noe Soup never materialized and no one is providing answers for the stalled "Vietnamese fusion" restaurant at Church and 25th Streets), this soon-to-be larger restaurant space has potential. All we can find is that the architect is Tecta Associates, famous for everything from locally-owned Fresca and Pasta Pomodoro to national chains like McDonald's and Starbuck's.

Seems weird for Mi Lindo to post a note saying goodbye, only to come back bigger than ever. If the construction worker had actual info, maybe it means there's going to be another Latin American restaurant?

Is anyone else a little concerned that such a large space may be a stealth chain store trying to come in under the radar? Is there anything we can do to find out? And if it does turn out to be a chain store not in keeping with Noe's character, is there a forum to voice our concerns before it's too late?

I BELIEVE WHAT THE PREVIOUS POSTER SAID WAS "NOT IN KEEPING WITH NOE'S CHARACTER." IN MY MIND, THAT WOULD MEAN A MC DONALD'S OR SIMILAR FAST FOOD CHAIN THAT WOULD LITTER THE STREETS AND PROVIDE FOOD THAT IS NOT UP TO THE HEALTH-CONSCIOUS STANDARDS OF MOST PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN NOE. THAT WAS MY FIRST THOUGHT WHEN I READ THAT THE ARCHITECT (TECTA) HAD PREVIOUSLY DONE WORK FOR MC DONALD'S.

First, fast food joints do not equal chain stores. They can be chains, of course, but chains do not necessarily mean fast food joints. Take Pomodoro, for example. So for the record, I was not arguing for a fast food joint (chain or otherwise)--I was simply pointing out that being against chain stores per se seems to be foolish.

As for the health-conscious standards argument... If a place moves in that people don't frequent (for whatever reason)... well, then the problem sort of takes care of itself, don't it?

This hood has way many chains for the size, and while I enjoy their convenience, they don't really add much to the character of the neighborhood. Whole Foods, Walgreens, Chase, Starbucks, and RadioShack are all big-time chains. Yeah we don't have a McDonalds or KFC but that really says more about this neighborhood's snob factor than anything else. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely hate McDonalds (there'd be more fecal matter with those burgers, if the meat weren't so diluted with soy) and KFC (how quickly they harvest chickens before they succumb on their own to tumors and infections), but when people talk about chains they're not necessarily talking about the quality of what they sell, it's that they contribute to a more generic feel of a neighborhood.

No stealth chain stores coming in that I know of. There are too many neighborhood controls for that.

Our client, the building owner, just wanted to get a full ground floor, which is not an intrusion, being that it is mostly excavated, and does in fact create a nicer space with more possibilities.

Now not to invite controversy, but do you think any less of Pasta Pomodoro since it has passed the definition of a formula store? My kids loved Pasta P when there was one, and long after we ceased to be their architects.

Then there are the skewers at Asqew. Another homegrown San Francisco that has top notch "fast" food.

Good thing about the new neighborhood controls is that you can control your environment through the discretionary review and conditional use permit process. Just be wary of the genie you let out of the bottle - a neighborhood with closed storefronts is not where you want to live either. One of the Anonymous family has it right - the market will take care of any business that is inappropriate or not desired.

Unions aren't the be-all end-all. My sister-in-law works at Whole Foods and loves their very comprehensive and generous healthcare package as well as their very good work environment (not to mention 20% all store items for employees). When a store is treating their workers fairly, there is no need for a union.

I walked by and saw the ABC notice on the window. Good news: this is going to be a Patxi's Pizza! Not a chain. Totally home-grown San Francisco Pizza, and it is great pizza to boot. Patxi's is in Hayes Valley, too, if you want to check it out.